Final Quest #16 cover revealed (spoilers)

Still interesting to see how resistant Leetah was during that time. The whole One-Eye thing was going on and she was still shedding her Sun Villager identity, to an extent. However, I miss seeing her be a bit reluctant to simply take what was being said by Timmain as gospel, and be good and calm about it. It was more like, Stop using my son to channel your stuff, lady. I don't care if you're a high one! You're hurting him!

I miss the old Leetah.

@Lunakat - I forgot about how they took shapes of the human legends. I love that part actually.

Ultimately I do think there might be a home star there, but it's not necessarily known whether or not it's inhabitable. I think TImmain is willing to take that chance. I'd be interested to know if it is to not. I'd love to see more Timmain perspective, like some kind of narrative from her side in 1st person form, like that fan story you posted. It makes things more relatable for me when I read.

It's out there for any one to see

Flipping to the new issue, I'd say it's mediocre and a tad stupid. The art is mostly new, I think, but some postures look really weird ('floating Korafay')

content:

Damn, I forgot it was out today. Is out. I'm going to read what you guys all go off on and then eventually get it lol

I don't think the art is bad. I feel like the characters are seeming more natural now, in their posing. I don't understand Korafaye's actions-- but I don't mind her floating.

I think I was right about Two Edge and the trolls.

I want to know about the Savah-Fungi connection!

Meh. Art was okay, good in parts, weird in others, still don't like the colouring.

Most of it really made no sense to me, but I can't tell if it's the comic or the cold medicine.

@kathleen: didn't make sense in which aspect? The actions of the characters or the story per se?

If Korafay is a floater, not a glider, does that mean she can only "fly upwards" but not in the horizontal direction? They talk of Timmain "floating" in the same issue, mind you...

Spoiler:

Miss Gillespie wrote:

"You...you....MEANIE!"

Ekuar should be fine because he can shape a hole and hide in it. I think the ancient wrong is the troll elf conflict-- not winnowil and two edge. But maybe they will need his mom to save him and he will forgive her and that will reconcile them that way.

Rayek still has to get left behind with her angry spirit for Rogue's Curse to occur.

I really don't get why everyone is so concerned about the well being of the war mongering djunsmen. I don't see why letting Rayek kill them is so offensive. Heck-- killing them and fighting with them is what the Go Backs want to do-- and no one is really criticizing them much. Except Tommain who seems to think the whole war thing is, at this point, pointless and beside the point.

The colors are so bad in this issue. I'm still not a huge fan of ablotnof the skin tones-- but at least characters aren't fading into the backgrounds and colors aren't conflicting within the same panels or pages. Improvement! I like the shades of blue and green.

Read it last night. I thought a lot of the art was good, as good as anything we've seen in the regular issues of FQ (incidentally, every time I type FQ I "hear" it in my head and it sounds like something that rhymes with "puck moo." Given the way I feel about the series at this point, that feels like a subliminal message from W&R, lol!) Even from the first scene with Rayek, Two-Edge and Ekuar there was a lot of active drawing and fresh art. Of course, we immediately switch to the palace where everything is static and recycled...and why is everyone amazed that Timmain can float? She's the most powerful magic-user on the planet. Why wouldn't she be able to do anything she wants at this point?

Nightfall's face on the top panel of page 7 is the worst she's ever looked. I also don't buy her using the word "cuddle." Just like I don't like Skywise using the word "weird." These lexical choices throw me out of the story because the tone seems wrong--too modern maybe? Skywise does explain how they learned Dr. Dre's name, which we've been curious about.

Unsurprising that the fungi are the rootless ones (kind of ironic, though, given that they've literally put down roots at this point.) I do not understand why Dr. Dre is needed to bring Leetah and Cutter together. Intellectually, I understand what Wendy is shooting for with his "powers," but I just don't buy it. The panels of Cutter's "return" on page 8 were lovely, however.

Then it's back to overly simplistic villains Rayowill. I think the distinction between "floating" and "gliding" fails from a storytelling perspective--it's just putting too fine a point on magical flight. I still can't stand Korafay's look. Rayek was using magic to block the bullets initially--why couldn't he just shield Korafay with his magic? Or simply maintain his protection? They needed him to get shot, but it made me scratch my head. I love that Rayek mistakes Salt for Ekuar--those two really do look alike! I had to wonder how Daboi got any leverage in the water to "operate" on Rayek.

Panel on top of page 16 in the running for laziest in FQ--all those awkward recycled figures, Nightfall/Redlance/Skywise with their feet lopped off, and then Dr. Dre's disembodied head floating on the side. I laughed out loud on that one.

Actually quite liked the interaction between Reef and Winnowill. Finally, someone sees her as something more than an evil-dispensing chaos-machine. I'm not sure I like or approve of the romantic dynamic between Rayek and Winnowill, but the scene between them on page 18 looked beautiful, IMO. I think there will be healing for both of them in the end, and Rayek may give his life to finally join her in spirit.

Interesting that Cutter's story is shifting to focus on hybrids--Timmorn and Two-Edge. Not sure where that's headed, but I'm intrigued. When Cutter says, "without this, no star home" (speaking of the key in New Moon's pommel, what does he mean? Is he just talking about how Two-Edge's armor enabled the elves to win the war for the palace?

I agree with everyone who thinks the star home is just the elves' way of describing the palace when it travels among the stars--the palace in space, or maybe just outer space more generally.

@ wingthing, I love your Venka-as-teacher comparison. Right on. She strikes me as pretty ineffective and not-a-little condescending (so...maybe not even a very good teacher at that.)

Lunakat wrote:

I really don't get why everyone is so concerned about the well being of the war mongering djunsmen. I don't see why letting Rayek kill them is so offensive. Heck-- killing them and fighting with them is what the Go Backs want to do-- and no one is really criticizing them much. Except Tommain who seems to think the whole war thing is, at this point, pointless and beside the point.

This exactly. Timmain gives the elves carte blanche to fight the humans, just not using the palace. Rayek may hold Winnowill's spirit, but presumably he still has choice and free will. Why not let him kill all the humans?

I had flashbacks to Game of Thrones when Korafay flew at him shouting "shame, shame." She better watch out. Things didn't end well for that nun.

I don't get why killing the warmen is so bad, either. Personally I love the pics of him attacking the humans, even with the ugly colors. I like his storyline and I wonder if Roques Curse will still be canon after this. Not that I don't want it to be. I didn't read all of it but I liked what I read, back then.
I think Winnowill turned into a red-purple colored ghost on purpose, hoping it would turn us all blind. She nearly succeeded with me!
I think Timmain reasons that only "positive" emotions are acceptable because "negative" emotions lead to bad things. That's why she talks about choosing for love. I still don't like her, because I feel like she's the type of person why acts like she accepts other people's choices, but really she believes only her opinion is the right one and that at some point everybody will see that and join her creepy cult.
I liked the exchange between Reef and Winny, and the exchange with Rayek. The story needed an explanation for Rayek because (at least to me) his motivations started to become unbelievable.
Is there a reason why Cutter gets his memory back now? Jay another group hug! It would be nice if Two-Edge would have a happy ending somehow in FQ.
The art is very nice at some points.

The worst part (except for Winny's colors): no Dart!

I think I give up.

The colors are hurting my eyes but I do like the scene with Reef, Rayek and Winnowill. I don't think it really does what Wendy intended, though. As touching as it was, it still doesn't excuse Rayek continuing to deny Winnowill the healing that would presumably bring to pass that beautiful, innocent state again.

Sifra wrote:

I still don't like her (Timmain) , because I feel like she's the type of person why acts like she accepts other people's choices, but really she believes only her opinion is the right one and that at some point everybody will see that and join her creepy cult.

Make us two.

I like most of what I've seen (minus the usual problems with coloring). And buy much of what I've read.

I wonder what happened to a more subtle, more lifelike way to show expressions ... Nightfall's disgut and Korafay's horror and wrath look like a caricature of those characters. The Human's line: "The female demon is too beautiful" is ... (I lack the right word for this kind of "humor").

I like Timmain floating (as much as I dislike Korafay's scene). I like the "heart's circle cuddle scene" - especially because of the wolves. I like the scene of Cutter and Leetah together (with the Sorrow's End remiiscence) - and the Cutter/Rayek contrast - relaxed peace against painful struggle.

I love the Rayek-Salt snippet and the whole spirit scenes during Rayek's healing. (... Rayek and tearful Winnowill would make a wonderful Recognition sczene ...). Timmorn's spirit vision. And the last scene with Ekuar and Petalwing.

Is it just me or do the Funguys seem less than fully sentient?

I also liked the Cutter-Skywise moment when they did the brother thing. Final Quest does seem to really play up their relationship.

manga wrote:

Is it just me or do the Funguys seem less than fully sentient?

I get the impression that the story is exploring different states of mind- alternate intelligences- in Final Quest. We have Dre Ahn-- who is definitely not neurotypical.. yet no one seems to really question what's up with him. They just accept it. And he has this super important gift-- despite being non-verbal.

So... I guess with the fungyguys, it's the same kind of thing. They don't have the same sentience that the others do-- but they still have a sentience of sorts. I imagine they are close to the mindset of trees. Someone had brought up Redlance's dream, in which he describes the interconnectedness of the forest. I think they are reminiscent of that.

I'm not sure how to feel about the colors in this one. They are vastly improved. Still not pulling a Mary Blair-- but not bad either. Pretty much generally okay.. for which I am grateful. I like the fact that skin tones are not jumping out against each other in the same panels anymore. Rather, they stay within a certain range of values. I like the forest scenes. The blues and greens are pretty. And somehow, Cutter's death grey outfit is working this time around. I think it's because the saturation was brought down on the turquoise and yellows-- so you don't have that super saturated color against a fully desaturate, noncolor, grey. Now it blends better. I also think that the color choices are good in the scene with Ekuar. And they are not bad in the spirit scenes with Winnowil. That's working. I think a lot of it has to do with the range of saturation.

So, did Winnowill make her love for Rayek somehow known in this issue somehow, or was she crying about losing a chance to leave? I saw a panel about it. What do you guys think?

I'm a bit annoyed with Rogue's Curse being canon with all of this happening ...as manga says, it doesn't make sense. Rayek was a strong supporter in Winnowill's 'dark corners' being swept and also as manga says, seeing her in a pure, innocent state, as mentioned in KOtBW. I suppose it's speculative that her presence in his head is maybe 'tainting' that, but I still think that no matter how in love Rayek might be with Winnie, he's an elf but sometimes it feels like the whole 'He/SHe' is an ELF thing is only reserved for 'good' characters; It's seeming more and more than shitty human behavior is exclusively reserved for him and her, which seems like a very broad stroke. I don't know.

She was crying because Reef forgave her for the millennia of torment she had inflicted on him. I think the compassion he had for her self at the time she attacked him had something to do with it too. He saw the pain that had made her lash out and after her lovemate and tribe ignored her spiral into insanity I think being so clearly seen was a shock.

It's frustrating, though, because here we see some real emotional progress for her but we know in RC it's going to be "Mwa ha ha, evil for the lolz!" again. It's not that I expect these events to have cured her but for their impact to be (apparently) erased is a disappointment.

Guys. What do you think Doors role in this will be? I'm thinking he'll fuck up the healing of Winnowill somehow. If Rogues Curse is considered canon, there is no way she will get redemption during FQ.

manga wrote:

It's frustrating, though, because here we see some real emotional progress for her but we know in RC it's going to be "Mwa ha ha, evil for the lolz!" again. It's not that I expect these events to have cured her but for their impact to be (apparently) erased is a disappointment.

Well, Winnowill is so desperate to NOT be healed that she'll do anything to avoid it, even take a suicide swan dive off some stairs. She believes she was right and the rest of the entire world is wrong, and she'll cling to that until the end of time because the alternative is facing herself and saying "Yes, I f--ked up. I was wrong. I take responsibility for my actions. There were better ways to handle myself even though my home and my life's purpose became so twisted. To everyone I hurt, me included, I'm sorry. I know I what I did was unforgivable, but I'm still sorry."

And that's a pain she simply can't bear. So rather than work through the guilt and the pain, Winnowill's going to keep burying it and pretend she was never wrong, following the path of least resistance.

Wallowing in pain is frighteningly easy. Healing yourself is hard.

howler monkey wrote:

Guys. What do you think Doors role in this will be? I'm thinking he'll fuck up the healing of Winnowill somehow. If Rogues Curse is considered canon, there is no way she will get redemption during FQ.

Generic 'I'm taking over this thing'-motive and likely also there to kill Chot off in that rockslide Pini wanted him to die in.